1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to computer systems. More particularly, it is directed to verifying digital signatures within a computing environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet, sometimes called simply “the Net,” is a worldwide system of computer networks in which a client at any one computer may, with permission, obtain information from any other computer. The most widely used part of the Internet is the World Wide Web, often abbreviated “WWW,” which is commonly referred to as “the web.” The web may be defined as all the resources (e.g., web pages and web sites) and users on the Internet that use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or variations thereof to access the resources. A web site is a related collection of web files that includes a beginning file called a home page. From the home page, the user may navigate to other web pages on the web site. A web server program is a program that, using the client/server model and HTTP, serves the files that form the web pages of a web site to the web users, whose computers contain HTTP client programs (e.g., web browsers) that forward requests and display responses. A web server program may host one or more web sites.
In recent years the ubiquity of the Internet and the World Wide Web has paved the way for the electronic exchange of information. For instance, activities that were previously performed in person are now in many cases performed over the Internet. One example includes electronic signing of documents or other data. For example, instead of traveling to a bank to complete and sign an application for a loan, an individual might visit the website of a financial institution, complete and electronically sign an electronic version of the loan application, and transmit the completed and signed application to the financial institution via the Internet.
In some cases, electronically signing a document (or other data) may indicate that a user agrees to terms or other stipulations set forth by the document. In other words, an electronic signature can be used as a substitute for a physical signature (e.g., a substitute for a handwritten depiction of a user's name that the user can write on documents as a proof of identity, intent, and/or acknowledgement). Electronic signatures can exist in many forms. For instance, an electronic license agreement might ask a user to confirm that he or she has read the agreement by instructing the user to electronically sign a form by entering or typing his or her name into a web-based form or, alternatively, entering some other information (e.g., a numerical code) into such a form. Various more advanced types of electronic signatures can also be utilized. For instance, one particular type of electronic signature includes an encrypted digital signature (or simply “digital signature”). Digital signatures may in some cases be more secure than other electronic signatures since digital signatures are typically created with a private key known only to the signing entity (and/or one or more trusted third parties).
To prevent repudiation of a valid electronic signature, it may be useful to be able to verify the authenticity of an electronic signature. For instance, electronic signatures may in some cases be used to sign a legally binding document, such as a contract between two or more parties (e.g., the signer and one or more other parties). In the event that a particular party does not fulfill one or more terms set forth by such a contract, one or more other parties bound by the contract can utilize electronic signature verification techniques to prove that the particular party did indeed electronically sign the contract. Such verification techniques may prove useful for recouping damages from the party that broke the contract.